Appliance for casting metal ingots into molds



H. H. HOSACK. APPLIANCE FOR CASTING NIETAL INGOTS INTO MOLDS.

APPLICATION med AUG.28, 1919.

H. H. HOSACK. v APPLTANCE FOR CASTING METAL TNGoTs INT0 MoLns.APPLICATION FILED AUG.2U. 1919. 1,375,589, Y. Patented Apr. 19, 1921.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

APPLIANCE FOR CASTING METAL INGO'IS` INTO MOLDS.

Speciication'of Letters Patent.

p Patented Apre 19, 1921i.

Application filed August 28, 1919. Serial No. 320,422.

T o all whom 'it may concer/n y Be it known that I, HAROLD HERON Hosncx,a subject of the King of England, residing at Twickenham, in the countyof Middlesex, England, have invented new and useful Improvements inAppliances for Casting Metal Ingots Into Molds, of which the followingis a specification.

This invention has reference to the pouring or teeming of molten steeland other metals into molds generally called ingot molds; and it'hasprimarily for its objects and eects to diminish or obviate splashing ofthe metal when poured into the ingot mold from above, and thereby todiminish as `far as possible the oxidization of the metal, and otherdeteriorating effects upon or in the metal due to such splashing, andthe present method of pouring or casting.

According to this invention, the molten steel (or other metal) which isrun from a furnace into a movable casting ladle or container,is notdirectly run or delivered from f this ladle or container into the mold,but is introduced into it through the intermediary of a vessel-which maybe called a pilot ladle-which is adapted to rise and fallv and receivesit from the'main ladle or container, and in turn delivers it, when at ornear the bottom of the mold, into the mold, so that its discharge ordelivery is at a very small head, and quietly and as the mold iills, theilot ladle is caused to rise, so that the splashing and carrying down ofair bubbles into the metal, is to a very large extent obviated.According to one mode of carrying out this method or system of pourin orcasting, the vertically movable pilot ladle (which will come directlyunder the main ladle, and may be supported therefrom or from the upperpart of the ingot mold) is counter-balanced, the weights being such asto keep it when empty,l in its uppermost position at the requiredposition under the `ladle pourin spout; but when it receives metal fromt e ladle, which is delivered to it by lifting a plug as usual, theweight of the molten metal and that of the pilot ladle exceeds that ofthe counter weights, and the pilot ladle falls, lifting the weights; andit is `carried down to near thebottom of the ingot mold; and the metalfrom the pilot ladle Hows relativelyv slowly in a quiet the bottom ofthe mold. As the level of the stream or streams from the pilot ladleintov4 metal rises in the mold, and reaches the pilot. ladle,l thediminution of the specific gravity of it, due to the pressure of themolten metal of the mold, will cause it to rise as the mold fills; andwhen it is completely filled, and the stopper or plug of the main ladleor container closed, the pilot ladle will empty itself, and rise clearof the mold, being pulled up by the counterbalance weights.

'When an ingot mold has been filled, the ladle is moved over anothermold, land the operations above described will be repeated.

ln some cases, the pilot ladle may be of ordinary metallurgical cruciblematerial; while in other cases it may consist of a metal shell, with aire brick or refractory mate* rial linin According to a modification,the vertically moving pilot ladle may, instead of being entirelyautomatic, partly automatic that is controlled by an attendant; or itmay be moved down and up into and out of the ladle by hand operated ormechanical, say an electrically operated means.

Also in some cases, a valve or plug device may be used in the pilotladle, which will be operated and opened at the right time, when thepilot ladle is at the required depth or position in the mold. Also thisladle may be heated to any desired degree before pouring takes place.

The mold may have a sinkin head on its upper end of any known suitab ekind. y

The system according to this invention is illustrated in theaccompanying drawings,

(in which Figure l is an elevation in section showing one arrangement ofparts. Figs. 2 and 3 are plan and elevation showing a modifiedarrangement; and Figs. 4 and 5 are two other modifications; while Fig. 6shows a detail.

Referring first to Fig. 1, a represents the pilot ladle, b the travelingpouring ladle, and c the ingot mold. d are the counterbalance weights,and e the chains or ropes connecting the pilot ladle with the weights,they vbein passed over the pulleys f on' the bottom o the ladle b. Thesinking head is marked z', and is provided with a sand internal liningas shown.

The dotted part marked g represents a hollow jacket or hood,the interiorspace of which would be exhausted of air, and put under a vacuum. Thishood stands over the sinking head, and the lower edge of it reste on anasbestos or other packing, carried by the angle iron ledge h on themold.

The pilot ladle a has a hole in its bottom, and in some cases aplurality of holes around it, as shown, in Fig. 1, so that it dischargesits contents in a multiplicity of quiescent streams.

.Before pouring, "the pilot ladle takes the upper p-osition shown in thedrawing; and when the main ladle stopper is lifted, the metal pours intothe pilot ladle, and, the combined weight of this metal and ladle causesthe latter to fall to as near the bottom as desired, say about theposition shown in the dotted lines in the drawing; and so the length thestreams from the holes in it, falling on to the bottom of the mold isshort.

As the metal in the mold rises, its action on the pilot ladle in risingis to take oil? weight from it; and the counterbalance weights d beingthen slightly heavier than the weight of the pilot ladle, will cause itto .rise as the metal rises; and the metal from the orifices of thepilot ladle flows quietly and evenly without splashing, or carrying downof air into the cast metal, from the commencement of pouring to the end;and

when the mold is entirely filled, and the main ladle stopper shut down,the weights el will 4pull the-pilot ladle clear of the sinking head i,when itis ready for a similar operation with the next mold in the benchof molds.

Having 4by these means cast an ingot, as free from splashings, andinclusions of air as possible, this advantage is followed up byproviding means of feeding the contents of the mold with hotter steel ormetal than is contained in it; and thisis effected bythe employment4 ofthe vacuum hood g, which immediately after casting is placed over thesinking head, as indicated in the4 drawing; the conduction of heat bythe hood away from 4this portion of the mold, being prevented orreducedby the` asbestos or like joint of the supporting ledge h above specifiedThe metal .in the upper portion of the ingot is then kept liquid --foras long a period as possible, and serves to feed the main bulk of theingot, as the metal cools from the bottom upward.

y In the modification shown in Figs. 2' and 3, instead of therebeing-separate weights,

only one weight o is employed, bothV chains or ropes e passing over thepulleys f which are inclined toward one another as shown.

In the arrangement in Fig. 4, the pilot" ladle a issupported by chainsor ropes e,

Y and pulleys from a shaft 1c, carried in bearing supports Z from thebottom of the ladle Zi,- and this shaft has fixed upon it a chain orrope pulley m, the rope or chain n of which has a weight o on thebottom, so as to 4counterbalance Athe pilot'ladle a. On

or connected with this gear per should be closed, and the pilot ladle amay be lowered to the bottom of the mold.` This ladle a may have adischarge' control stopper or valve, operated by hand from above,similarly to an ordinary casting ladle stopper, or automatically ashereinafter described, by striking the bottom of the mold; and when thepilot ladle is near the bottom of the mold and the valve or stopper isopened, the metal will pour from the lower pouring spout in its bottom,quietly onto the bottom of the mold, and ush thelower portion of same.As soon as the metal is released from the pilot ladle, the main ladlestopper may be opened so as to discharge into the pilot ladle, whichbeing acted upon by the rising metal run into the ingot mold, will bymeans of the counter-balance weight acting upon it, beJ lifted as themetal rises,

similarly as abo-ve described. Y

In some cases, however, it 'may be preferred that the upward or downwardmove# ment' or both of the pilot ladle may be effected mechanically asby an electric motor,

with a lower stem`p1, and an upper stem p2, the latter of 'which whenlifted, due to the stem p1 strikingthe bottom of the mold in lowering,will be pushed up into the tapered socket hole .q of the. inner ladle,and so thereby held. The molten metal will be received by the inner iessel of the ladle, and passed through the holes in the bottom, of whichthere are a multiplicity', and then out by the central hole in thebottom of the outer ladle wall.

By this means the guiescent falling of the4 Y liquid metal, and its thecarrying down of air into the metal in the mold iS accomplished.

ischarge into the ingot mold is promoted; and the avoidance of Insteadof the plug or valve p being held up by friction as just described, maybe held up by a detent asl shown in Fig. 6. The de tent in this case isin the form of a weighted pawl 1', supported on a cross pin r1, in arecess or opening in the upper stem p2. `When the stopper is beinglifted, the nose of this pawl will be pressed into the recess p3 in thestemy, by passing over the surface of the material around the hole g,and when the nose of the weighted pawl enters the enlarged upper part g1of the hole g, it rises, and projects into the hole, so that when thestopper lower stem leaves the bottom of the mold, the stopper will beheld up in the open position.

To lower the stopper, it is turned around so that the nose of the pawl 1comes over a vertical groove or slot way g3 through the material formingthe lower part of the hole g, so that it can fall down; and thenafterward, it is turned around so that the nose would be away from thisslot g3, and in a position ready for the stopper being lifted.

From the above description it will be apparent that the pilot ladle ineffect floats upon the surface of the molten metaland is elevated by thebuoyancy added by the counterweights. The counterweights will of courseassist in holding the pilot ladle upright and operating to maintain itsposition about centrally of the main mold.

What is claimed is l. The herein described method of casting metal froma ladle, consisting in delivering the metal from said ladle into a pilotladle counterbalanced to maintain said pilot ladle floating on thesurface of the metal rising in the mold, whereby to maintain the pilotladle constantly at the level of the rising metal in the mold to deliverthe metal from the pilot ladle at or near the surface of the metal inthe mold.-

2. A means for delivering molten metal into a mold comprising incombination a pilot ladle adapted to receive the molten metal from asupply, and mounted for movement vertically in the mold, and means forcounterbalancing the pilot ladle to maintain said pilot ladle as afloating element on the surface of the metal in the mold.

` In testimony whereof I have signed name to this specification in thepresence of two subscribing witnesses.

HAROLD HERON HOSACK. Witnesses:

GEO. P. S. KELSEY, ERNEST PAsK.

